Starch Debranching Enzymes

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a genetically engineered variant of a parent starch debranching enzyme, i.e. a pullulanase or an isamylase, the enzyme variant having an improved thermostability at a pH in the range of 4-6 compared to the parent enzyme and/or an increased activity towards amylopectin and/or glycogen compared to the parent enzyme, to methods for producing such starch debranching enzyme variants with improved thermostability and/or altered substrate specificity, and to a method for converting starch to one or more sugars using at least one such enzyme variant.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/375,720, filed on Feb. 26, 2003, which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/833,435, filed on Mar. 26, 2001 (abandoned), which is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 09/346,237, filed Jul. 1, 1999 (now U.S. Pat. No. 6,265,197), which claims priority under 35 U.S.C. 119 of Danish application PA 1998 00868, filed Jul. 2, 1998, and the benefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/094,353, filed on Jul. 28, 1998, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to novel starch debranching enzymes, in particular pullulanases and isoamylases, designed for use in a starch conversion process comprising a liquefaction step and a saccharification step, as well as to the production of such enzymes and the use of such enzymes in a starch conversion process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Starches such as corn, potato, wheat, manioc and rice starch are used as the starting material in commercial large scale production of sugars, such as high fructose syrup, high maltose syrup, maltodextrins, amylose, G4-G6 oligosaccharides and other carbohydrate products such as fat replacers.

Degradation of Starch

Starch usually consists of about 80% amylopectin and 20% amylose. Amylopectin is a branched polysaccharide in which linear chains α-1,4 D-glucose residues are joined by α-1,6 glucosidic linkages. Amylopectin is partially degraded by α-amylase, which hydrolyzes the 1,4-α-glucosidic linkages to produce branched and linear oligosaccharides. Prolonged degradation of amylopectin by α-amylase results in the formation of so-called α-limit dextrins which are not susceptible to further hydrolysis by the α-amylase. Branched oligosaccharides can be hydrolyzed into linear oligosaccharides by a debranching enzyme. The remaining branched oligosaccharides can be depolymerized to D-glucose by glucoamylase, which hydrolyzes linear oligosaccharides into D-glucose.

Amylose is a linear polysaccharide built up of D-glucopyranose units linked together by α-1,4 glucosidic linkages. Amylose is degraded into shorter linear oligosaccharides by α-amylase, the linear oligosaccharides being depolymerized into D-glucose by glucoamylase.

In the case of converting starch into a sugar, the starch is depolymerized. The depolymerization process consists of a pretreatment step and two or three consecutive process steps, namely a liquefaction process, a saccharification process and, depending on the desired end product, optionally an isomerization process.

Pre-Treatment of Native Starch

Native starch consists of microscopic granules which are insoluble in water at room temperature. When an aqueous starch slurry is heated, the granules swell and eventually burst, dispersing the starch molecules into the solution. During this “gelatinization” process there is a dramatic increase in viscosity. As the solids level is 30-40% in a typical industrial process, the starch has to be thinned or “liquefied” so that it can be handled. This reduction in viscosity is today mostly obtained by enzymatic degradation.

Liquefaction

During the liquefaction step, the long-chained starch is degraded into smaller branched and linear units (maltodextrins) by an α-amylase (e.g. Termamyl™, available from Novo Nordisk A/S, Denmark). The liquefaction process is typically carried out at about 105-110° C. for about 5 to 10 minutes followed by about 1-2 hours at about 95° C. The pH generally lies between about 5.5 and 6.2. In order to ensure an optimal enzyme stability under these conditions, calcium is added, e.g. 1 mM of calcium (40 ppm free calcium ions). After this treatment the liquefied starch will have a “dextrose equivalent” (DE) of 10-15.

Saccharification

After the liquefaction process the maltodextrins are converted into dextrose by addition of a glucoamylase (e.g. AMG™, available from Novo Nordisk A/S) and a debranching enzyme, such as an isoamylase (see e.g. U.S. Pat. No. 4,335,208) or a pullulanase (e.g. Promozyme™, available from Novo Nordisk A/S) (see U.S. Pat. No. 4,560,651). Before this step the pH is reduced to a value below 4.5, e.g. about 3.8, maintaining the high temperature (above 95° C.) for a period of e.g. about 30 min. to inactivate the liquefying α-amylase to reduce the formation of short oligosaccharides called “panose precursors” which cannot be hydrolyzed properly by the debranching enzyme.

The temperature is then lowered to 60° C., glucoamylase and debranching enzyme are added, and the saccharification process proceeds for about 24-72 hours.

Normally, when denaturing the α-amylase after the liquefaction step, a small amount of the product comprises panose precursors which cannot be degraded by pullulanases or AMG. If active amylase from the liquefaction step is present during saccharification (i.e. no denaturing), this level can be as high as 1-2% or even higher, which is highly undesirable as it lowers the saccharification yield significantly. For this reason, it is also preferred that the α-amylase is one which is capable of degrading the starch molecules into long, branched oligosaccharides (such as, e.g., the Fungamyl™-like α-amylases) rather than shorter branched oligosaccharides.

Isomerization

When the desired final sugar product is e.g. high fructose syrup, the dextrose syrup may be converted into fructose by enzymatic isomerization. After the saccharification process the pH is increased to a value in the range of 6-8, preferably about pH 7.5, and the calcium is removed by ion exchange. The dextrose syrup is then converted into high fructose syrup using, e.g., an immobilized glucose isomerase (such as Sweetzyme™, available from Novo Nordisk A/S).

Debranching Enzymes

Debranching enzymes which can attack amylopectin are divided into two classes: isoamylases (E.C. 3.2.1.68) and pullulanases (E.C. 3.2.1.41), respectively. Isoamylase hydrolyses α-1,6-D-glucosidic branch linkages in amylopectin and β-limit dextrins and can be distinguished from pullulanases by the inability of isoamylase to attack pullulan, and by their limited action on α-limit dextrins.

When an acidic stabilised “Termamyl™-like” α-amylase is used for the purpose of maintaining the amylase activity during the entire saccharification process (no inactivation), the degradation specificity should be taken into consideration. It is desirable in this regard to maintain the α-amylase activity throughout the saccharification process, since this allows a reduction in the amyloglucidase addition, which is economically beneficial and reduces the AMG™ condensation product isomaltose, thereby increasing the DE (dextrose equivalent) yield.

It will be apparent from the above discussion that the known starch conversion processes are performed in a series of steps, due to the different requirements of the various enzymes in terms of e.g. temperature and pH. It would therefore be desirable to be able to engineer one or more of these enzymes so that the overall process could be performed in a more economical and efficient manner. One possibility in this regard is to engineer the otherwise thermolabile debranching enzymes so as to render them more stable at higher temperatures. The present invention relates to such thermostable debranching enzymes, the use of which provides a number of important advantages which will be discussed in detail below. It also relates to starch debranching enzymes with an altered substrate specificity.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is thus to provide thermostable debranching enzymes, for example pullulanases and isoamylases, which are suitable for use at high temperatures in a starch conversion process, in particular using genetic engineering techniques in order to identify and synthesize suitable enzyme variants. Another object of the invention is to provide novel starch debranching enzymes with an altered substrate specificity.

In its broadest aspect, the present invention can thus be characterized as relating to novel starch debranching enzymes with improved properties in terms of e.g. thermostability or substrate specificity, as well as methods for producing such enzymes and the use of such enzymes in a starch conversion process.

In one particular aspect, the invention relates to a genetically engineered variant of a parent starch debranching enzyme, the enzyme variant having an improved thermostability at a pH in the range of 4-6 compared to the parent enzyme.

Another aspect of the invention relates to a genetically engineered variant of a parent starch debranching enzyme, the enzyme variant having an increased activity towards amylopectin and/or glycogen compared to the parent enzyme.

A further aspect of the invention relates to a method for producing a starch debranching enzyme variant with increased thermostability, the method comprising the steps of:

-   -   identifying one or more amino acid residues and/or amino acid         regions associated with thermostability in a first parent starch         debranching enzyme,     -   identifying one or more homologous amino acid residues and/or         amino acid regions in a second parent starch debranching enzyme         by means of alignment of the amino acid sequences of the first         and second parent starch debranching enzymes, and     -   mutating one or more of the homologous amino acid residues         and/or amino acid regions in the second parent starch         debranching enzyme to produce an enzyme variant with increased         thermostability.

A still further aspect of the invention relates to a method for producing a starch debranching enzyme variant with altered substrate specificity, the method comprising the steps of:

-   -   identifying one or more amino acid residues in at least one         amino acid loop associated with specificity towards a desired         substrate in a first parent starch debranching enzyme,     -   identifying one or more homologous amino acid residues in at         least one corresponding loop in a second parent starch         debranching enzyme by means of alignment of the amino acid         sequences of the first and second parent starch debranching         enzymes, and     -   mutating one or more of the homologous amino acid residues in at         least one loop in the second parent starch debranching enzyme to         produce an enzyme variant with altered substrate specificity.

The term “loop” means, at least in the context of the present invention, the sequence part following the beta-strand/sheet part of the sequence in question. Said “beta strands/sheets” may be identified by multiple sequence alignment of sequences of the present invention and sequences with a known three dimensional structure. Such alignments can be made using standard alignment programs, available from e.g. the UWGCG package (Program Manual for the Wisconsin Package, Version 8, August 1994, Genetics Computer Group, 575 Science Drive, Madison, Wis., USA 53711).

Known three-dimensional enzyme structures are available from Brookhaven Databank. Examples of such are the three-dimensional structure of the Aspergillus oryzae TAKA α-amylase (Swift et al., 1991), the Aspergillus niger acid amylase (Brady et al, 1991), the structure of pig pancreatic α-amylase (Qian et al., 1993), and the barley α-amylase (Kadziola et al. 1994, Journal of Molecular Biology 239:104-121; A. Kadziola, Thesis, Dept of Chemistry, U. of Copenhagen, Denmark).

The invention relates in addition to a method for converting starch to one or more sugars, the method comprising debranching the starch using at least one enzyme variant as described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the present context, the term “thermostable” refers in general to the fact that the debranching enzyme variants according to the invention have an improved thermostability compared to the relevant parent enzyme. The degree of improvement in thermostability can vary according to factors such as the thermostability of the parent enzyme and the intended use of the enzyme variant, i.e. whether it is primarily intended to be used in for liquefaction or for saccharification or both. It will be apparent from the discussion below that for saccharification, the enzyme variant should maintain a substantial degree of enzyme activity during the saccharification step at a temperature of at least about 63° C., preferably at least about 70° C., while an enzyme variant designed for use in the liquefaction step should be able to maintain a substantial degree of enzyme activity at a temperature of at least about 95° C.

The improved thermostability of enzyme variants according to the invention can in particular be defined according to one or more of the following criteria:

In one embodiment, the enzyme variant of the invention has an improved thermostability as defined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) using the method described below.

In another embodiment, the enzyme variant of the invention has an improved thermostability as defined by an increased half-time (T_(1/2)) of at least about 5%, preferably at least about 10%, more preferably at least about 15%, more preferably at least about 25%, most preferably at least about 50%, such as at least 100%, in the “T_(1/2), assay for liquefaction” described herein, using a pH of 5.0 and a temperature of 95° C. Enzyme variants according to this definition are suitable for use in the liquefaction step of the starch conversion process.

Alternatively or additionally, an enzyme variant suitable for use in liquefaction can be defined as having an improved thermostability as defined by an increased residual enzyme activity of at least about 5%, preferably at least about 10%, more preferably at least about 15%, more preferably at least about 25%, most preferably at least about 50%, in the “assay for residual activity after liquefaction” described herein, using a pH of 5.0 and a temperature of 95° C.

In a further embodiment, the enzyme variant of the invention has an improved thermostability as defined by an increased half-time (T_(1/2)) of at least about 5%, preferably at least about 10%, more preferably at least about 15%, more preferably at least about 25%, most preferably at least about 50%, such as at least 100%, in the “T_(1/2) assay for saccharification” described herein, using a pH of 4.5 and a temperature of 70° C. Such variants are suitable for use in the saccharification step of the starch conversion process.

Alternatively or additionally, an enzyme variant suitable for saccharification can be defined as having an improved thermostability as defined by an increased residual enzyme activity of at least about 5%, preferably at least about 10%, more preferably at least about 15%, more preferably at least about 25%, most preferably at least about 50%, in the “assay for residual activity after saccharification” described herein, using a pH of 4.5 and a temperature of 63° C. Preferably, this improved thermostability is also observed when assayed at a temperature of 70° C.

The term “substantially active” as used herein for a given enzyme variant and a given set of conditions of temperature, pH and time means that the relative enzymatic activity of the enzyme variant is at least about 25%, preferably at least about 50%, in particular at least about 60%, especially at least about 70%, such as at least about 90% or 95%, e.g. at least about 99% compared to the relative activity of the parent enzyme under the given set of conditions mentioned in connection with improved thermostability right above.

An enzyme variant “derived from” a given enzyme (a “parent enzyme”) means that the amino acid sequence of the parent enzyme has been modified, i.e. by substitution, deletion, insertion and/or loop transfer as described below, to result in the enzyme variant. In the case of a parent enzyme produced by an organism such as a microorganism, where an enzyme variant according to the invention is derived from the parent enzyme, the enzyme variant may be produced by appropriate transformation of the same or a similar microorganism or other organism used to produce the parent enzyme.

One advantage of the thermostable debranching enzymes of the invention is that they make it possible to perform liquefaction and debranching simultaneously before the saccharification step. This has not previously been possible, since the known pullulanases and isoamylases with acceptable specific activity are thermolabile and are inactivated at temperatures above 60° C. (Some thermostable pullulanases from Pyrococcus are known, but these have an extremely low specific activity at higher temperatures and are thus unsuitable for purposes of the present invention). By debranching, using the thermostable debranching enzymes of the invention, during liquefaction together with the action of an α-amylase, the formation of panose precursors is reduced, thereby reducing the panose content in the final product and increasing the overall saccharification yield. It is also possible in this manner to extend the liquefaction process time without risking formation of large amount of panose precursors. By prolonging the liquefaction step, the DE yield is increased from 10-15 to e.g. 15-20, reducing the need for glucoamylase. This reduced glucoamylase requirement is in turn advantageous as the formation of undesired isomaltose is reduced, thereby resulting in an increased glucose yield. In addition, the reduced glucoamylase addition enables the saccharification step to be carried out at a higher substrate concentration (higher DS, dry substances, concentration) than the normal approx. 30-35% used according to the prior art. This allows reduced evaporation costs downstream, e.g. in a high fructose corn syrup process, and the saccharification reaction time can also be reduced, thereby increasing production capacity. A further advantage is that α-amylase used in the liquefaction process does not need to be inactivated/denatured in this case.

Furthermore, it is also possible to use the thermostable debranching enzymes according to the invention during saccharification, which is advantageous for several reasons. In the conventional starch saccharification process, the process temperature is not more than 60° C. due to the fact that neither the saccharification enzyme pullulanase nor AMG™ are sufficiently thermostable to allow the use of a higher temperature. This is a disadvantage, however, as it would be very desirable to run the process at a temperature of above about 60° C., in particular above 63° C., e.g. about 70° C., to reduce microbial growth during the relatively long saccharification step. Furthermore, a higher process temperature normally gives a higher activity per mg of enzyme (higher specific activity), thereby making it possible to reduce the weight amount of enzyme used and/or obtain a higher total enzymatic activity. A higher temperature can also result in a higher dry matter content after saccharification, which would be beneficial in terms of reducing evaporation costs.

Although a thermostable isoamylase might be regarded as being more beneficial than a thermostable pullulanase when used in the liquefaction process, since isoamylases are characterised by their specificity towards amylopectin and activity on higher molecular weight dextrins, a preferred alternative is to alter the specificity of a pullulanase so as to be more “isoamylase-like” in the sense of having improved activity towards longer, branched-chain dextrins. Among the various pullulanases there are substantial differences in this respect, even among the pullanases of the same Bacillus origin.

Methods for Determining Stability and Activity Thermostability

Thermostability of pullulanases and isoamylases can be detected by measuring the residual activity by incubating the enzyme under accelerated stress conditions, which comprise: pH 4.5 in a 50 mM sodium acetate buffer without a stabilizing dextrin matrix (such as the approximately 35% dry matter which is normally present during saccharification). The stability can be determined at isotherms of e.g. 63° C., 70° C., 80° C., 90° C. and 95° C., measuring the residual activity of samples taken from a water bath at regular intervals (e.g. every 5 or 10 min.) during a time period of 1 hour. For determining stability for the purpose of liquefaction, a pH of 5.0, a temperature of 95° C. and a total assay time of 30 minutes are used (“assay for residual activity after liquefaction”). For determining stability for the purpose of saccharification, a pH of 4.5, a temperature of 63° C. or 70° C. and a total assay time of 30 minutes are used (“assay for residual activity after saccharification”).

Alternatively, the thermostability may be expressed as a “half-time” (T_(1/2)), which is defined as the time, under a given set of conditions, at which the activity of the enzyme being assayed is reduced to 50% of the initial activity at the beginning of the assay. In this case, the “T_(1/2), assay for liquefaction” uses a pH of 5.0 and a temperature of 95° C., while the “T_(1/2) assay for saccharification” uses a pH of 4.5 and a temperature of 70° C. The assay is otherwise performed as described above for the respective assays for residual activity.

Activity: Somogyi-Nelson Method for Determination of Reducing Sugars

The activity of both pullulanases and isoamylases can be measured using the Somogyi-Nelson method for the determination of reducing sugars (J. Biol. Chem. 153, 375 (1944)). This method is based on the principle that sugar reduces cupric ions to cuprous oxide, which reacts with an arsenate molybdate reagent to produce a blue colour that is measured spectrophotometrically. The solution to be measured must contain 50-600 mg of glucose per litre. The procedure for the Somogyi-Nelson method is as follows:

Sample value: Pipette 1 ml of sugar solution into a test tube. Add 1 ml of copper reagent. Stopper the test tube with a glass bead. Place the test tube in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Cool the test tube. Add 1 ml of Nelson's colour reagent. Shake the test tube without inverting it. Add 10 ml of deionized water. Invert the test tube and shake vigorously. Measure the absorbance at 520 nm, inverting the test tube once immediately prior to transfer of the liquid to the cuvette.

Blank value: Same procedure as for the sample value, but with water instead of sugar solution.

Standard value: Same procedure as for the sample value.

Calculations:

In the region 0-2 the absorbance is proportional to the amount of sugar.

$\begin{matrix} {{{mg}\mspace{14mu} {sugar}\text{/}1} = \frac{100\mspace{14mu} \left( {{sample} - {blank}} \right)}{\left( {{standard} - {blank}} \right)}} \\ {{\% \mspace{14mu} {glucose}} = \frac{\left( {{sample} - {blank}} \right)}{100 \times \left( {{standard} - {blank}} \right)}} \end{matrix}$

Reagents: 1. Somogyi's Copper Reagent

35.1 g Na₂HPO₄. 2H₂O and 40.0 g potassium sodium tartrate (KNaC₄H₄.4H₂O) are dissolved in 700 ml of deionized water. 100 ml of 1N sodium hydroxide and 80 ml of 10% cupric sulphate (CuSO⁴.5H₂O) are added. 180 g of anhydrous sodium sulphate are dissolved in the mixture, and the volume is brought to 1 litre with deionized water.

2. Nelson's Colour Reagent

50 g of ammonium molybdate are dissolved in 900 ml of deionized water. Then 42 ml of concentrated sulphuric acid are added, followed by 6 g of disodium hydrogen arsenate heptahydrate dissolved in 50 ml of deionized water, and the volume is brought to 1 litre with deionized water. The solution is allowed to stand for 24-48 hours at 37° C. before use and is stored in the dark in a brown glass bottle with a glass stopper.

3. Standard

100 mg of glucose (anhydrous) are dissolved in 1 litre of deionized water.

Substrate Specificity

Methods for the determination and characterisation of the profile of action and specificity of pullulanases and isoamylases for various substrates (e.g. amylopectin, glycogen and pullulan) are described by Kainuma et al. in Carbohydrate Research, 61 (1978) 345-357. Using these methods, the relative activity of an isoamylase or a pullulanase can be determined, and the relative activity of an enzyme variant according to the invention compared to the relative activity of the parent enzyme can be assessed, for example to determine whether a pullulanase variant has the desired increased specificity toward high molecular weight saccharides such as amylopectin compared to the parent enzyme.

Starch Conversion

As indicated above, in one embodiment of the invention, the starch conversion process comprises debranching using a thermostable debranching enzyme of the invention during the liquefaction step together with an α-amylase. The liquefaction step is typically carried out at a pH between 4.5 and 6.5, e.g. from 5.0 to 6.2, at a temperature in the range of 95-110° C. for a period of 1 to 3 hours, preferably about 1.5-2 hours. It is preferred, however, that the pH is as low as possible, e.g. from 4.5 to 5.0, as long as the enzyme(s) used for the liquefaction have a sufficient stability at the pH in question. If the α-amylase is calcium dependent, calcium may be added in an amount of from 30 to 50 ppm, such as around 40 ppm (or 0.75 to 1.25 mM, such as around 1 mm) in the liquefaction step to stabilise the enzyme. As explained above, the α-amylase need not be inactivated after the liquefaction step to reduced the panose formation in this case.

Examples of specific α-amylases which can be used in the liquefaction step include Bacillus licheniformis α-amylases, such as the commercially available products Termamyl®, Spezyme® AA, Spezyme® Delta AA, Maxamyl® and Kleistase®, and the α-amylase mutants described in WO 96/23874 (Novo Nordisk) and PCT/DK97/00197 (Novo Nordisk).

Isoamylases which can be used as a parent enzyme according to the invention include, but are not limited to, the thermostable isoamylase derived from the thermophilic acrhaebacterium Sulfolobus acidocaldarius (Maruta, K et al., (1996), Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1291, p. 177-181), isoamylase from Rhodothermus marinus (e.g. the isoamylase of SEQ ID NO 3) and isoamylase from Pseudomonas, e.g. Pseudomonas amyloderamosa (e.g. Pseudomonas amyloderamosa isoamylase disclosed in EMBL database accession number J03871 or GeneBank accession number N90389).

Examples of pullulanases which can be used as a parent enzyme include, but are not limited to, a thermostable pullulanase from e.g. Pyrococcus or a protein engineered pullulanase from e.g. a Bacillus strain such as Bacillus acidopullulyticus (e.g. Promozyme™ or SEQ ID NO 1) or Bacillus deramificans (e.g. SEQ ID NO 2; or the Bacillus deramificans pullulanase with GeneBank accession number Q68699).

While prior art methods for saccharification employ a temperature of not more than about 60° C., the present invention provides thermostable debranching enzymes that can remain active at higher temperatures, i.e. at least about 63° C. and preferably at least about 70° C. so as to eliminate possibilities for microbial growth. Examples of suitable glucoamylases for saccharification include Aspergillus niger glucoamylases, such as ADG™. The saccharification process typically proceeds for about 24-72 hours at a pH of about 4.0-4.5, preferably about 4.0.

When the desired final sugar product is e.g. a high fructose syrup of approx. 50% fructose syrup, the formed D-glucose is isomerized by an isomerase at a pH around 6-8, preferably about 7.5. An example of a suitable isomerase is an glucose isomerase such as the glucose isomerase derived from Streptomyces murinus. The isomerase may be an immobilized glucose isomerase, such as Sweetzyme®.

Calcium is normally removed if added before the liquefaction step.

Engineering of Pullulanases and Isoanylases

The pullulanases and isoamylases are members of the family 13 amylases (Henrissat, B. et al., Biochem J. 293:781-788, 1993). This suggests that they have the same overall structure in the central part of the molecule consisting of an A, B and C domain. The B domains vary quite dramatically in size and structure, whereas the other two domains are believed to generally possess a high degree of homology. The A domain is composed of an alpha-8/beta-8 structure (a beta-barrel) and 8 loops between the beta-strands and the alpha-helices (a helix can in certain cases be absent, however). The sequences coming from the beta-strand part of the beta-barrel point towards the substrate binding region. These regions are of particular interest for the specificity of the enzyme (Svensson, B. et al., Biochemical Society Transactions, Vol. 20; McGregor, J. Prot. Chem. 7:399, 1988). However, by using information about specific sequences and as well as general strategies for analyzing pullulanase and isoamylase sequences, the present invention provides the necessary tools to be able to engineer these enzymes to produce variants with improved thermostability and/or specificity.

Sequence Listings

The following sequence listings are referred to herein:

SEQ ID NO 1: pullulanase from Bacillus acidopullulyticus

SEQ ID NO 2: pullulanase from Bacillus deramificans

SEQ ID NO 3+ SEQ ID NO 12: isoamylase from Rhodothermus marinus

SEQ ID NO 4: isoamylase from Pseudomonas amyloderamosa JD270 (Chen, J H et al. (1990) Biochemica et Biophysica Acta 1087, pp 307-315) (Brookhaven database: 1BF2)

SEQ ID NO 5: pullulanase from Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kornacker et al., Mol. Microbiol. 4:73-85 (1990))

SEQ ID NO 6: pullulanase from Klebsiella aerogenes (Katsuragi et al., J. Bacteriol. 169:2301-2306 (1987))

SEQ ID NO 7:isoamylase from Pseudomonas sp. SMP1 (Tognoni, A. et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,457,037)

SEQ ID NO 8: isoamylase from Favobacterium odoratum (JP 9623981, Susumu Hizukuri et al.)

SEQ ID NO 9: isoamylase from Sulfolobus acidocaldarius, ATCC 33909 (Biochimica et Biophysica Acta 1291 (1996) 177-181, Kazuhiko Maruta et al.)

SEQ ID NO 10: isoamylase from Sulfolobus solfataricus (GeneBank Accession no. Y08256).

SEQ ID NO 11: isoamylase from maize, Zea mays (ACCESSION U18908)

SEQ ID NO 13: Bacillus acidopullulyticus pulB gene (SEQ ID NO: 13).

Structure of Pullulanases

The appended FIG. 1 shows the amino acid sequence of four different pullulanases as well as an alignment of these sequences. On the basis of information provided by this alignment, it is possible to perform homology substitutions in order to obtain desired characteristics of improved thermostability and/or altered substrate specificity.

The four sequences are SEQ ID NO 5, 6, 1 and 2.

Structure of Isoamylases

The appended FIG. 2 shows the amino acid sequence of seven different isoamylases as well as an alignment of these sequences. On the basis of information provided by this alignment, it is possible to perform homology substitutions in order to obtain desired characteristics of improved thermostability and/or altered substrate specificity.

The seven sequences are SEQ ID NO 4, 7, 8, 9, 10, 3 and 11.

The X-ray structure of the Pseudomonas amyloderamosa isoamylase has recently been published in the Brookhaven database under number 1BF2. The structure confirms the overall view of the sequence alignment method, but also shows certain differences to the suggested alignment. The corrected loop numbers deduced from the 3D structure of Pseudomonas amyloderamosa isoamylase (1BF2) are shown below:

Loop Suggested Deduced from structure 1. 210-230 211-231 2. 250-292 251-295 3. 319-376 319-330 4. 401-436 401-436 5. 461-479 461-468 6. 482-485 482-503 7. 530-539 533-580 8. 605-636 606-636

Alignment of Pullulanases and Isoamylases

The appended FIG. 3 shows a “key alignment” of selected pullulanases and isoamylases (those of SEQ ID NO 1, 2, 3 and 4), in other words a best-fit alignment of homologous amino acid residues in the respective sequences. The dashes (“----”) indicate presumed beta-strand positions. Each set of dashes is followed by a loop number, indicating the position in the sequence of the loops. Information on the location of the individual loops is found in Table 1 below.

By comparing the most homologous sequence from the “key alignment” of two or more relevant starch debranching enzymes with a new starch debranching enzyme sequence, and aligning these two sequences, residues from the new sequence homologous to residues in the sequence from the key alignment can be determined. The homology may be found e.g. by using the GAP program from the UWGCG package (Program Manual for the Wisconsin Package, Version 8, August 1994, Genetics Computer Group, 575 Science Drive, Madison, Wis., USA 53711). The new sequence can then be placed in the key alignment by using a text editing program or other suitable computer program.

Table 1 below provides information on the location of selected regions of interest in the various loops of the selected pullulanases and isoamylases, these loop regions being of general interest with regard to modification to produce enzyme variants according to the invention. Loop 3 below constitutes domain B (MacGregor, 1988), while the other loops belong to domain A.

TABLE 1 Loop 1 Loop 2 Loop 3 Loop 4 Loop 5 Loop 6 Loop 7 Loop 8 Pullulanases Seq. Id. a. 369-397 419-458 484-525 553-568 582-608 613-616 661-670 708-739 No. 1 b. 372-385 422-448 488-520 558-568 587-606 663-670 710-724 c. 375-395 422-438 488-499 591-606 710-715 Seq. Id. a. 465-493 515-554 580-621 649-664 680-711 714-717 757-765 804-834 No. 2 Isoamylases Seq. Id. a. 210-230 250-292 319-376 401-437 461-479 482-485 530-539 605-636 No. 4 Seq. Id. a. 176-195 218-257 283-334 359-381 395-413 416-419 461-470 537-568 No. 3 b. 179-193 221-250 288-326 364-381 399-411 463-470 539-553 c. 182-193 221-239 288-303 403-411 539-545

Where more than one region is listed for a given enzyme and loop in Table 1, the region listed first (i.e. a.) is in each case the expected length of the loop in question. The next region (i.e. b.) is the preferred region for modification, and the last region (i.e. c.) is most preferred.

By performing modifications, i.e. substitutions, deletions, insertions and/or loop transfer, in one or more these loops, engineered proteins having the desired properties in terms of improved thermostability and/or altered substrate specificity may be produced. An enzyme variant according to the invention may comprise any appropriate combination of one or more substitutions, deletions, insertions and/or loop transfers to obtain the desired characteristics of improved thermostability and/or altered activity.

The loop region of SEQ ID NO: 1, i.e. 369-397 (region denoted a), may according to the invention suitably be replaced with the corresponding spatially placed region of SEQ ID NO:4, i.e. 176-195 (i.e. denoted a.). Further, region 371-385 of loop 1 (SEQ ID NO: 1) (i.e. denoted b.) may correspondingly be replaced with region 179-193 of loop 1 (SEQ ID NO. 4) (i.e. denoted b.).

In the present context, a simplified nomenclature is used to indicate amino acid substitutions in a given position. For example “G81P” refers to the substitution of a glycine residue in position 81 with a proline residue, and “F489G,A” refers to the substitution of a phenylalanine residue in position 489 with either glycine or alanine.

Engineering for Improved Thermostability

When engineering for improved thermostability, either or both of the first and second parent enzymes may be an isoamylase or a pullulanase. For obtaining improved thermostability of isoamylases and pullulanases, we can focus especially on the B domain, which has been shown to be important for stability, using sequence homology information as further described below.

Thermostability—Sequence Homology

Several different approaches may be used for the purpose of obtaining increased thermostability, including proline substitutions, Gly to Ala substitutions and Asn and Gln substitutions. Further details and examples of these approaches are provided below.

Proline Substitutions:

Proline substitutions, i.e. replacing one or more non-proline amino acid residues with a proline residue, are suggested as an approach for obtaining thermostability on the basis of sequence alignment of isoamylases and pullulanases. Examples of possible proline substitutions are provided in the following.

Isoamylases:

In P. amyloderamosa isoamylase (SEQ ID NO 4):

Positions for proline substitution include G81P, G99P, T18P, T199P, Q202P, T221, Q226P, A238P, T278P, R286P, A294P, G467P, G64P, V67P, E69P, A549P, G713P, T719P and D736P, and preferably S356P, T376P, T278P, N348P and S454P.

In R. marinus isoamylase (SEQ ID NO 3):

Positions for proline substitution include G154P, N305P and N669P, and preferably R588P and K480P.

Pullulanases:

In B. acidopullulyticus pullulanase (SEQ ID NO 1):

Preferred positions include A210P, V215P, L249P, K383P, S509P, T811P and G823P.

in B. deramificans pullulanase (SEQ ID NO 2):

Preferred positions include G306P, V311P, L345P, D605P, T907P and A919P.

Gly to Ala Substitutions: for Example:

In P. amyloderamosa isoamylase (SEQ ID NO 4):

G181A

Asn (N) and Gln (O) Substitutions:

The new residues are chosen from all 20 possible amino acid residues, but preferably residues in a homologous position as seen from sequence alignment, Leu, Ile, Phe, Ala, Thr, Ser and Tyr being preferred. Of special interest are the following:

SEQ ID NO 1:

Loop1: N379, N384 Loop2: N426, Q432, N434, N437, N444, N446 Loop3: N486, N490, Q502, N512, N515, N521 Loop4: - Loop5: Q596 Loop6: N616, N621, Q628 Loop7: N679, N681, Q684 Loop8: N720, N722, N731, Q732

SEQ ID NO 2:

Loop1: N475, N480 Loop2: N522, N533, N590 Loop3: N582, N608, N611, N617 Loop4: - Loop5: Q691, Q698 Loop6: N712, N717 Loop7: N764, N775 Loop8: N815, N817, N820

SEQ ID NO 3:

Loop1: - Loop2: N227, N232 Loop3: N286, N305, N314, N315, N327, N333 Loop4: - Loop5: Q405 Loop6: - Loop7: N482, N485, N489, N496, N500, Q513 Loop8: N54, N548, N549, Q553, N555, N560, Q562

SEQ ID NO 4:

Loop1: Q218, Q225 Loop2: Q254, Q257, N258, N261, N266, N270, Q271, N272, N280 Loop3: N322, N348, N358, Q359, N364, N370, N372, N375 Loop4: N408, N412, N421, N424, N428 Loop5: N468, Q471, Q477 Loop6: - Loop7: N547, N550, N551, Q553, N567, Q572 Loop8: Q615, N617, N618, N619, N622

Modifications in loops 2 and 3 are of particular interest with regard to improving thermostability. Loop 2 is of interest due to its interactions with another domain in the N-terminal part of the sequence. Loop 3 is of interest due to possible association with a calcium binding site located between domain A and domain B.

Engineering for Altered Substrate Specificity

When engineering for altered substrate specificity, either or both of the first and second parent enzymes may be an isoamylase or a pullulanase, although it is of particular interest for purposes of the present invention to obtain improved specificity of pullulanases towards higher molecular weight branched starchy material such as glycogen and amylopectin, in other words a transfer of “isoamylase-like” specificity to a pullulanase, e.g. by means of modifications in the loops 1-8, preferably loops 1, 2, 4 and 5.

For the transfer of isoamylase-like activity to pullulanase, a loop transfer from an isoamylase to a pullulanase is of particular interest, for example by inserting loop 5 from an isoamylase into the site for loop 5 of a pullulanase, or by inserting loop 1 from an isoamylase into the site for loop 1 of a pullulanase with the numbering indicated in Table 1.

Activity, Sequence Homology and Overall Beta-Strand, Alpha-Helix and Loop Placement in Sequence Knowledge

Activity, either specific activity or specificity, can be transferred to pullulanases, using sequence information from e.g. P. amyloderamosa isoamylase (SEQ ID NO: 4) (high isoamylase activity). Also activity, either specific activity or specificity, can be transferred to isoamylases, using sequence information from e.g. B. acidopullulyticus pullulanase (SEQ ID NO: 1). The loops are analysed for specific residues present especially in the beginning of the loop sequence, from the end of the beta-strand in isoamylases (or suggested beta-strand in pullulanases).

The suggested changes exemplified below apply to all pullulanases in the homologous positions corresponding to those of the two pullulanases discussed:

Providing pullulanase with isoamylase-like activity:

This may be provided by substitutions in loop regions following the beta-strands in B. acidopullulyticus (SEQ ID NO 1) and B. deramificans (SEQ ID NO 2) pullulanase:

After strand: Beta-1 Beta-2 Beta-3 Beta-4 Beta-5 Beta-6 Beta-7 Beta-8 B. acido. D137G H437Y F489G, A M555A G581A I614Y, F N668G E711D Seq. ID. No. 1 T585A, D W672EKQA B. derami. D149G N533Y F585G, A M651A O677A L710Y, F N764G E807D Seq. ID. No. 2 T681A, D W768EKQA

For transfer of the high activity of P. amyloderamosa isoamylase towards higher molecular weight branched starchy material to R. marinus isoamylase or other isoamylases, or to pullulanases, a sequence alignment is performed as described above. By assessing sequence homology and taking into consideration the “structure” of the enzymes as described above, strategies for mutation can be deduced.

The transfer of higher activity from P. amyloderamosa is preferably performed without losing the thermostability of R. marinus isoamylase in any substantial degree. Although it may generally be difficult to alter substrate activity without altering thermostability, it is contemplated that the present invention will allow the obtainment of a higher activity while at the same time substantially maintaining the high thermostability in R. marinus isoamylase as well as in the more thermostable pullulanases. This is made possible by aligning isoamylases and pullulanases to be mutated with the “key alignment” and selecting parent enzymes to be mutated as well as specific amino acid residues and regions to be mutated using information obtained from such alignments of amino acid sequences.

The list below provides examples of possible mutations, based on these principles, that may be performed to obtain higher activity of R. marinus (SEQ ID NO 3) towards the higher molecular weight starchy materials.

Mutations for Higher Activity of Seq Id No 3:

Loop1: K183E, L184Q, H185D, P186T, E187S, V188I, E190A, P191Q Preferred; L184Q, P186T, E187S, P191Q

Loop2: H222Q, A223E, K224T, V225Q, H226N, R228A, H229N, L230D, insert VPN between 231 and 232, E232S, R233D, G234A, L235N, R236Q, N242M, P243T, L244E, C245N, A248S, E250D, P251R Preferred; K224T, V225Q, R228A, P251R

Loop3: G289A, V293T, L294W, insertion of TSSDPTT between 294 and 295, G295A, P296T, T297I, L298Y, F300W, 1303L, R306A, A307T, K310E, A311L, D312T, P313S, N314G, delete P316, R317Q, F318Y, L319F, V320Y, Y322N, T325I, N327A, T328N, L329F, D330N, V331T, G332Y, P334T

Preferred; P296T, R306A, P313S, delete P316, V331T, P334T

Loop4: A404S, A405V, A407G

Loop5: D397A, V398I, P400G, G401N, G402S, V405L, H407G, W410Q, Q411G

Loop6: R418L, Y419F, A422S, V423L, R425Q, F426A, W427Q

Loop7: F469M, E472K, L474V, V475Y

Loop8: L542Y, S543L, Q5446L, H447Q

Site-Directed Mutagenesis

Once an isoamylase or pullulanase encoding DNA sequence has been isolated, and desirable sites for mutation identified, mutations may be introduced using synthetic oligonucleotides. These oligonucleotides contain nucleotide sequences flanking the desired mutation sites. In a specific method, a single-stranded gap of DNA, the enzyme-encoding sequence, is created in a vector carrying the enzyme gene. Then the synthetic nucleotide, bearing the desired mutation, is annealed to a homologous portion of the single-stranded DNA. The remaining gap is then filled in with DNA polymerase I (Klenow fragment) and the construct is ligated using T4 ligase. A specific example of this method is described in Morinaga et al., (1984), Biotechnology 2, p. 646-639. U.S. Pat. No. 4,760,025 discloses the introduction of oligonucleotides encoding multiple mutations by performing minor alterations of the cassette. However, an even greater variety of mutations can be introduced at any one time by the Morinaga method, because a multitude of oligonucleotides, of various lengths, can be introduced.

Another method for introducing mutations into enzyme-encoding DNA sequences is described in Nelson and Long, (1989), Analytical Biochemistry 180, p. 147-151. It involves the 3-step generation of a PCR fragment containing the desired mutation introduced by using a chemically synthesized DNA strand as one of the primers in the PCR reactions. From the PCR-generated fragment, a DNA fragment carrying the mutation may be isolated by cleavage with restriction endonucleases and reinserted into an expression plasmid.

Random Mutagenesis

Random mutagenesis is suitably performed either as localised or region-specific random mutagenesis in at least three parts of the gene translating to the amino acid sequence shown in question, or within the whole gene.

The random mutagenesis of a DNA sequence encoding a parent enzyme may be conveniently performed by use of any method known in the art.

In relation to the above, a further aspect of the present invention relates to a method for generating a variant of a parent enzyme, wherein the variant exhibits improved thermal stability relative to the parent, the method comprising:

(a) subjecting a DNA sequence encoding the parent enzyme to random mutagenesis,

(b) expressing the mutated DNA sequence obtained in step (a) in a host cell, and

(c) screening for host cells expressing an enzyme variant which has an altered property (e.g. thermal stability) relative to the parent enzyme.

Step (a) of the above method of the invention is preferably performed using doped primers.

For instance, the random mutagenesis may be performed by use of a suitable physical or chemical mutagenizing agent, by use of a suitable oligonucleotide, or by subjecting the DNA sequence to PCR generated mutagenesis. Furthermore, the random mutagenesis may be performed by use of any combination of these mutagenizing agents. The mutagenizing agent may, e.g., be one which induces transitions, transversions, inversions, scrambling, deletions, and/or insertions.

Examples of a physical or chemical mutagenizing agent suitable for the present purpose include ultraviolet (UV) ir-radiation, hydroxylamine, N-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG), O-methyl hydroxylamine, nitrous acid, ethyl methane sulphonate (EMS), sodium bisulphite, formic acid, and nucleotide analogues. When such agents are used, the mutagenesis is typically performed by incubating the DNA sequence encoding the parent enzyme to be mutagenized in the presence of the mutagenizing agent of choice under suitable conditions for the mutagenesis to take place, and selecting for mutated DNA having the desired properties.

When the mutagenesis is performed by the use of an oligonucleotide, the oligonucleotide may be doped or spiked with the three non-parent nucleotides during the synthesis of the oligonucleotide at the positions which are to be changed. The doping or spiking may be done so that codons for unwanted amino acids are avoided. The doped or spiked oligonucleotide can be incorporated into the DNA encoding the glucoamylase enzyme by any published technique, using e.g. PCR, LCR or any DNA polymerase and ligase as deemed appropriate.

Preferably, the doping is carried out using “constant random doping”, in which the percentage of wild-type and mutation in each position is predefined. Furthermore, the doping may be directed toward a preference for the introduction of certain nucleotides, and thereby a preference for the introduction of one or more specific amino acid residues. The doping may be made, e.g., so as to allow for the introduction of 90% wild type and 10% mutations in each position. An additional consideration in the choice of a doping scheme is based on genetic as well as protein-structural constraints. The doping scheme may be made by using the DOPE program which, inter alia, ensures that introduction of stop codons is avoided (Jensen, L J, Andersen, K V, Svendsen, A, and Kretzschmar, T (1998) Nucleic Acids Research 26:697-702).

When PCR-generated mutagenesis is used, either a chemically treated or non-treated gene encoding a parent glucoamylase is subjected to PCR under conditions that increase the misincorporation of nucleotides (Deshler 1992; Leung et al., Technique, Vol. 1, 1989, pp. 11-15).

A mutator strain of E. coli (Fowler et al., Molec. Gen. Genet., 133, 1974, pp. 179-191), S. cereviseae or any other microbial organism may be used for the random mutagenesis of the DNA encoding the enzyme by, e.g., transforming a plasmid containing the parent enzyme into the mutator strain, growing the mutator strain with the plasmid and isolating the mutated plasmid from the mutator strain. The mutated plasmid may be subsequently transformed into the expression organism.

The DNA sequence to be mutagenized may be conveniently present in a genomic or cDNA library prepared from an organism expressing the parent enzyme. Alternatively, the DNA sequence may be present on a suitable vector such as a plasmid or a bacteriophage, which as such may be incubated with or other-wise exposed to the mutagenizing agent. The DNA to be mutagenized may also be present in a host cell either by being integrated in the genome of said cell or by being present on a vector harboured in the cell. Finally, the DNA to be mutagenized may be in isolated form. It will be understood that the DNA sequence to be subjected to random mutagenesis is preferably a cDNA or a genomic DNA sequence.

In some cases it may be convenient to amplify the mutated DNA sequence prior to performing the expression step b) or the screening step c). Such amplification may be performed in accordance with methods known in the art, the presently preferred method being PCR-generated amplification using oligonucleotide primers prepared on the basis of the DNA or amino acid sequence of the parent enzyme.

Subsequent to the incubation with or exposure to the mutagenizing agent, the mutated DNA is expressed by culturing a suitable host cell carrying the DNA sequence under conditions allowing expression to take place. The host cell used for this purpose may be one which has been transformed with the mutated DNA sequence, optionally present on a vector, or one which was carried the DNA sequence encoding the parent enzyme during the mutagenesis treatment. Examples of suitable host cells are the following: gram positive bacteria such as Bacillus subtilis, Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus lentus, Bacillus brevis, Bacillus stearothermophilus, Bacillus alkalophilus, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, Bacillus coagulans, Bacillus circulans, Bacillus lautus, Bacillus megaterium, Bacillus thuringiensis, Streptomyces lividans or Streptomyces murinus; and gram-negative bacteria such as E. coli.

The mutated DNA sequence may further comprise a DNA sequence encoding functions permitting expression of the mutated DNA sequence.

Localized Random Mutagenesis

The random mutagenesis may be advantageously localized to a part of the parent enzyme in question. This may, e.g., be advantageous when certain regions of the enzyme have been identified to be of particular importance for a given property of the enzyme, and when modified are expected to result in a variant having improved properties. Such regions may normally be identified when the tertiary structure of the parent enzyme has been elucidated and related to the function of the enzyme.

The localized, or region-specific, random mutagenesis is conveniently performed by use of PCR generated mutagenesis techniques as described above or any other suitable technique known in the art. Alternatively, the DNA sequence encoding the part of the DNA sequence to be modified may be isolated, e.g., by insertion into a suitable vector, and said part may be subsequently subjected to mutagenesis by use of any of the mutagenesis methods discussed above.

Homology to Other Parent Enzyme

In an embodiment, the present invention also relates to variants of isolated parent polypeptides having an amino acid sequence which has a degree of identity to any of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3 and SEQ ID NO: 4 of at least about 60%, preferably at least about 70%, preferably at least about 80%, preferably at least about 90%, preferably at least about 93%, more preferably at least about 95%, even more preferably at least about 97%, and most preferably at least about 99%, and which have pullulanase or isoamylase activity (hereinafter “homologous polypeptides”). In a preferred embodiment, the homologous parent polypeptides have an amino acid sequence which differs by five amino acids, preferably by four amino acids, more preferably by three amino acids, even more preferably by two amino acids, and most preferably by one amino acid from any of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3 and SEQ ID NO: 4.

The amino acid sequence homology may be determined as the degree of identity between the two sequences indicating a derivation of the first sequence from the second. “Homology” (identity) may be determined by use of any conventional algorithm, preferably by use of the gap program from the GCG package version 8 (August 1994) using default values for gap penalties, i.e., a gap creation penalty of 3.0 and gap extension penalty of 0.1 (Genetic Computer Group (1991) Programme Manual for the GCG Package, version 8, 575 Science Drive, Madison, Wis., USA 53711).

Preferably, the parent polypeptides comprise the amino acid sequences of any of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3 and SEQ ID NO: 4; or allelic variants thereof; or a fragment thereof that has pullulanase or isoamylase activity.

Fragments of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3 and SEQ ID NO: 4 are polypeptides having one or more amino acids deleted from the amino and/or carboxyl terminus of these amino acid sequences.

An allelic variant denotes any of two or more alternative forms of a gene occupying the same chromosomal locus. Allelic variation arises naturally through mutation, and may result in polymorphism within populations. Gene mutations can be silent (no change in the encoded polypeptide) or may encode polypeptides having altered amino acid sequences. An allelic variant of a polypeptide is a polypeptide encoded by an allelic variant of a gene.

In another embodiment, the isolated parent polypeptides having pullulanase or isoamylase activity are encoded by nucleic acid sequences which hybridize under very low stringency conditions, more preferably low stringency conditions more preferably medium stringency conditions, more preferably medium-high stringency conditions, even more preferably high stringency conditions, and most preferably very high stringency conditions with a nucleic acid probe which hybridizes under the same conditions with (i) the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 12 or SEQ ID NO: 13; (ii) a subsequence of (i); or (iii) a complementary strand of (i) or (ii) (J. Sambrook, E. F. Fritsch, and T. Maniatus, 1989, Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 2d edition, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.). The subsequence of SEQ ID NO: 12 or SEQ ID NO: 13 may be at least 100 nucleotides or preferably at least 200 nucleotides. Moreover, the subsequence may encode a polypeptide fragment which has pullulanase or isoamylase activity, respectively. The parent polypeptides may also be allelic variants or fragments of the polypeptides that have pullulanase or isoamylase activity.

The nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 12 or SEQ ID NO: 13 or a subsequence thereof, as well as the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3 and SEQ ID NO: 4 or a fragment thereof, may be used to design a nucleic acid probe to identify and clone DNA encoding polypeptides having pullulanase or isoamylase activity, from strains of different genera or species according to methods well known in the art. In particular, such probes can be used for hybridization with the genomic or cDNA of the genus or species of interest, following standard Southern blotting procedures, in order to identify and isolate the corresponding gene therein. Such probes can be considerably shorter than the entire sequence, but should be at least 15, preferably at least 25, and more preferably at least 35 nucleotides in length. Longer probes can also be used. Both DNA and RNA probes can be used. The probes are typically labeled for detecting the corresponding gene (for example, with ³²P, ³H, ³⁵S, biotin, or avidin). Such probes are encompassed by the present invention.

Thus, a genomic DNA or cDNA library prepared from such other organisms may be screened for DNA which hybridizes with the probes described above and which encodes a polypeptide having pullulanase or isoamylase activity. Genomic or other DNA from such other organisms may be separated by agarose or polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, or other separation techniques. DNA from the libraries or the separated DNA may be transferred to and immobilized on nitrocellulose or other suitable carrier material. In order to identify a clone or DNA which is homologous with SEQ ID NO: 12 or SEQ ID NO: 13 or subsequences thereof, the carrier material is used in a Southern blot. For purposes of the present invention, hybridization indicates that the nucleic acid sequence hybridizes to a nucleic acid probe corresponding to the nucleic acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 12 or SEQ ID NO: 13, its complementary strand, or a subsequence thereof, under very low to very high stringency conditions. Molecules to which the nucleic acid probe hybridizes under these conditions are detected using X-ray film.

For long probes of at least 100 nucleotides in length, the carrier material is finally washed three times each for 15 minutes using 2×SSC, 0.2% SDS preferably at least at 45° C. (very low stringency), more preferably at least at 50° C. (low stringency), more preferably at least at 55° C. (medium stringency), more preferably at least at 60° C. (medium-high stringency), even more preferably at least at 65° C. (high stringency), and most preferably at least at 70° C. (very high stringency).

For short probes which are about 15 nucleotides to about 70 nucleotides in length, stringency conditions are defined as prehybridization, hybridization, and washing post-hybridization at 5° C. to 10° C. below the calculated T_(m) using the calculation according to Bolton and McCarthy (1962, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 48:1390) in 0.9 M NaCl, 0.09 M Tris-HCl pH 7.6, 6 mM EDTA, 0.5% NP-40, 1×Denhardt's solution, 1 mM sodium pyrophosphate, 1 mM sodium monobasic phosphate, 0.1 mM ATP, and 0.2 mg of yeast RNA per ml following standard Southern blotting procedures.

For short probes which are about 15 nucleotides to about 70 nucleotides in length, the carrier material is washed once in 6×SCC plus 0.1% SDS for 15 minutes and twice each for 15 minutes using 6×SSC at 5° C. to 10° C. below the calculated T_(m).

The present invention also relates to isolated nucleic acid sequences produced by (a) hybridizing a DNA under very low, low, medium, medium-high, high, or very high stringency conditions with the sequence of SEQ ID NO: 12 or SEQ ID NO: 13, or its complementary strand, or a subsequence thereof; and (b) isolating the nucleic acid sequence. The subsequence is preferably a sequence of at least 100 nucleotides such as a sequence which encodes a polypeptide fragment which has pullulanase or isoamylase activity.

Contemplated parent polypeptides have at least 20%, preferably at least 40%, more preferably at least 60%, even more preferably at least 80%, even more preferably at least 90%, and most preferably at least 100% of the pullulanase or isoamylase activity of the mature polypeptide of SEQ ID NO: 1, SEQ ID NO: 2, SEQ ID NO: 3 and SEQ ID NO: 4.

The invention will be further illustrated by the following non-limiting examples.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Donor Organisms

Bacillus acidopullulyticus comprises the pullulanase enzyme encoding DNA sequence of the pulB gene (SEQ ID NO: 13) (Kelly, A. P., Diderichsen, B., JØrgensen, S. And McConnett, D. J. (1994) Molecular genetic analysis of the pullulanase B gene of Bacillus acidopullulyticus. FEMS Microbiology letters 115, 97-106).

Other Strains:

E. coli strain: Cells of E. coli SJ2 (Diderichsen, B., Wedsted, U., Hedegaard, L., Jensen, B. R., SjØholm, C. (1990) Cloning of aldB, which encodes alpha-acetolactate decarboxylase, an exoenzyme from Bacillus brevis. J. Bacteriol., 172, 4315-4321), were prepared for and transformed by electroporation using a Gene Pulser™ electroporator from BIO-RAD as described by the supplier.

B. subtilis PL1801. This strain is the B. subtilis DN1885 with disrupted apr and npr genes (Diderichsen, B., Wedsted, U., Hedegaard, L., Jensen, B. R., SjØholm, C. (1990) Cloning of aldB, which encodes alpha-acetolactate decarboxylase, an exoenzyme from Bacillus brevis. J. Bacteriol., 172, 4315-4321). Competent cells were prepared and transformed as described by Yasbin, R. E., Wilson, G. A. and Young, F. E. (1975) Transformation and transfection in lysogenic strains of Bacillus subtilis: evidence for selective induction of prophage in competent cells. J. Bacteriol, 121:296-304.

Plasmids.

pMOL944. This plasmid is a pUB110 derivative essentially containing elements making the plasmid popagatable in Bacillus subtilis, kanamycin resistance gene and having a strong promoter and signal peptide cloned from the amyL gene of B. licheniformis ATCC14580. The signal peptide contains a SacII site making it convenient to clone the DNA encoding the mature part of a protein infusion with the signal peptide. This results in the expression of a Pre-protein which is directed towards the exterior of the cell.

The plasmid was constructed by means of ordinary genetic engineering and is briefly described in the following.

Construction of pMOL944:

The pUB110 plasmid (McKenzie, T. et al., 1986, Plasmid 15:93-103) was digested with the unique restriction enzyme NciI. A PCR fragment amplified from the amyL promoter encoded on the plasmid pDN1981 (P. L. JØrgensen et al., 1990, Gene, 96, p 37-41) was digested with NciI and inserted in the NciI digested pUB110 to give the plasmid pSJ2624.

The two PCR primers used have the following sequences:

# LWN5494 5′-GTCGCCGGGGCGGCCGCTATCAATTGGTAACTGTATCTCAGC-3′ # LWN5495 5′-GTCGCCCGGGAGCTCTGATCAGGTACCAAGCTTGTCGACCTGCAGAA TGAGGCAGCAAGAAGAT-3′

The primer #LWN5494 inserts a NotI site in the plasmid.

The plasmid pSJ2624 was then digested with SacI and NotI and a new PCR fragment amplified on amyL promoter encoded on the pDN1981 was digested with SacI and NotI and this DNA fragment was inserted in the SacI-NotI digested pSJ2624 to give the plasmid pSJ2670.

This cloning replaces the first amyL promoter cloning with the same promoter but in the opposite direction. The two primers used for PCR amplification have the following sequences:

#LWN5938 5′-GTCGGCGGCCGCTGATCACGTACCAAGCTTGTCGACCTGCAGAATGA GGCAGCAAGAAGAT-3′ #LWN5939 5′-GTCGGAGCTCTATCAATTGGTAACTGTATCTCAGC-3′

The plasmid pSJ2670 was digested with the restriction enzymes PstI and BclI and a PCR fragment amplified from a cloned DNA sequence encoding the alkaline amylase SP722 (Patent # WO9526397-A1) was digested with PstI and BclI and inserted to give the plasmid pMOL944. The two primers used for PCR amplification have the following sequence:

#LWN7864 5′-AACAGCTGATCACGACTGATCTTTTAGCTTGGCAC-3′ #LWN7901 5′-AACTGCACCCGCGGCACATCATAATCGGACAAATGGG-3′

The primer #LWN7901 inserts a SacII site in the plasmid.

Subcloning and expression of pullulanase pulB in B. subtilis. The pulB encoding DNA sequence of the invention was PCR amplified using the PCR primer set consisting of these two oligo nucleotides:

pu1B.upper.SacII 5′-CAT TCT GCA GCC GCG GCA GAT TCT ACC TCG ACA GAA GTC-3′ pu1B.lower.NotI 5′-GTT GAG AAA A GC GGC CGC TTC TTT AAC ACA TGC TAC GG-3′

Restriction sites SacII and NotII are underlined.

The pulB upper SacII primer is situated just after the signal sequence of the pulB gene and will after cloning in the pMOL944 vector generate a signal fusion to the amyL signal sequence. The pulB lower primer is situated just after the mRNA terminator of the pulB gene.

Genomic DNA Preparation:

Strain Bacillus pullulyticus (ID noxxxx) was propagated in liquid TY medium. After 16 hours incubation at 30° C. and 300 rpm, the cells were harvested, and genomic DNA isolated by the method described by Pitcher et al. (Pitcher, D. G., Saunders, N. A., Owen, R. J. (1989). Rapid extraction of bacterial genomic DNA with guanidium thiocyanate. Lett. Appl. Microbiol., 8, 151-156).

Chromosomal DNA isolated from B. pullulyticus as described above was used as template in a PCR reaction using Amplitaq DNA Polymerase (Perkin Elmer) according to manufacturers instructions. The PCR reaction was set up in PCR buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.3, 50 mM KCl, 1.5 mM MgCl2, 0.01% (w/v) gelatin) containing 200 μM of each dNTP, 2.5 units of AmpliTaq polymerase (Perkin-Elmer, Cetus, USA) and 100 μmol of each primer

The PCR reactions was performed using a DNA thermal cycler (Landgraf, Germany). One incubation at 94° C. for 1 min followed by thirty cycles of PCR performed using a cycle profile of denaturation at 96° C. for 10 sec, annealing at 60° C. for 30 sec, and extension at 72° C. for 150 sec. Five-μl aliquots of the amplification product was analysed by electrophoresis in 0.7% agarose gels (NuSieve, FMC). The appearance of a DNA fragment size 2.5 kb indicated proper amplification of the gene segment.

Subcloning of PCR fragment.

Fortyfive-μl aliquots of the PCR products generated as described above were purified using QIAquick PCR purification kit (Qiagen, USA) according to the manufacturer's instructions. The purified DNA was eluted in 50 μl of 10 mM Tris-HCl, pH 8.5. 5 μg of pMOL944 and twentyfive-μl of the purified PCR fragment was digested with SacII and NotI, electrophoresed in 0.8% low gelling temperature agarose (SeaPlaque GTG, FMC) gels, the relevant fragments were excised from the gels, and purified using QIAquick Gel extraction Kit (Qiagen, USA) according to the manufacturer's instructions. The isolated PCR DNA fragment was then ligated to the SacII-NotI digested and purified pMOL944. The ligation was performed overnight at 16° C. using 0.5 μg of each DNA fragment, 1 U of T4 DNA ligase and T4 ligase buffer (Boehringer Mannheim, Germany).

The ligation mixture was used to transform competent B. subtilis PL2306. The transformed cells were plated onto LBPG-10 μg/ml of Kanamycin −0.1% AZCL-Pullulan-agar plates. After 18 hours incubation at 37° C. cells positively expressing the cloned Pullulanase were seen as colonies surrounded by blue halos. One such positive clone was restreaked several times on agar plates as used above, this clone was called PULxxx. The clone PULxxx was grown overnight in TY-10 μg/ml Kanamycin at 37° C., and next day 1 ml of cells were used to isolate plasmid from the cells using the Qiaprep Spin Plasmid miniprep Kit 427106 according to the manufacturers recommendations for B. subtilis plasmid preparations.

Expression of Pullulanase.

PULxxx was grown in 25×200 ml BPX media with 10 μg/ml of Kanamycin in 500 ml two baffled shakeflasks for 5 days at 30° C. at 300 rpm.

pu1B seq: (SEQ ID NO: 13) AAAAAATGCTTAATAGAAGGAGTGTAATCTGTGTCCCTAATACGTTCTAG GTATAATCATTTTGTCATTCTTTTTACTGTCGCCATAATGTTTCTAACAG TTTGTTTCCCCGCTTATAAAGCTTTAGCAGATTCTACCTCGACAGAAGTC ATTGTGCATTATCATCGTTTTGATTCTAACTATGCAAATTGGGATCTATG GATGTGGCCATATCAACCAGTTAATGGTAATGGAGCAGCATACGAGTTTT CTGGAAAGGATGATTTTGGCGTTAAAGCAGATGTTCAAGTGCCTGGGGAT GATACACAGGTAGGTCTGATTGTCCGTACAAATGATTGGAGCCAAAAAAA TACATCAGACGATCTCCATATTGATCTGACAAAGGGGCATGAAATATGGA TTGTTCAGGGGGATCCCAATATTTATTACAATCTGAGTGATGCGCAGGCT GCAGCGACTCCAAAGGTTTCGAATGCGTATTTGGATAATGAAAAAACAGT ATTGGCAAAGCTAACTAATCCAATGACATTATCAGATGGATCAAGCGGCT TTACGGTTACAGATAAAACAACAGGGGAACAAATTCCAGTTACCGCTGCA ACAAATGCGAACTCAGCCTCCTCGTCTGAGCAGACAGACTTGGTTCAATT GACGTTAGCCAGTGCACCGGATGTTTCCCATACAATACAAGTAGGAGCAG CCGGTTATGAAGCAGTCAATCTCATACCACGAAATGTATTAAATTTGCCT CGTTATTATTACAGCGGAAATGATTTAGGTAACGTTTATTCAAATAAGGC AACGGCCTTCCGTGTATGGGCTCCAACTGCTTCGGATGTCCAATTACTTT TATACAATAGTGAAACAGGACCTGTAACCAAACAGCTTGAAATGCAAAAG AGTGATAACGGTACATGGAAACTGAAGGTCCCTGGTAATCTGAAAAATTG GTATTATCTCTATCAGGTAACGGTGAATGGGAAGACACAAACAGCCGTTG ACCCTTATGTGCGTGCTATTTCAGTCAATGCAACACGTGGTATGATAGTC GATTTAGAAGATACGAATCCTCCTGGATGGAAAGAAGATCATCAACAGAC ACCTGCGAACCCAGTGGATGAAGTAATCTACGAAGTGCATGTGCGTGATT TTTCGATTGATGCTAATTCAGGCATGAAAAATAAAGGGAAATATCTTGCC TTTACAGAACATGGCACAAAAGGCCCTGATAACGTGAAAACGGGTATTGA TAGTTTGAAGGAATTAGGAATCAATGCTGTTCAATTACAGCCGATTGAAG AATTTAACAGCATTGATGAAACCCAACCAAATATGTATAACTGGGGCTAT GACCCAAGAAACTACAACGTCCCTGAAGGAGCGTATGCAACTACACCAGA AGGAACGGCTCGCATTACCCAGTTAAAGCAACTGATTCAAAGCATTCATA AAGATCGGATTGCTATCAATATGGATGTGGTCTATAACCATACCTTTAAC GTAGGAGTGTCTGATTTTGATAAGATTGTTCCGCAATACTATTATCGGAC AGACAGCGCAGGTAATTATACGAACGGCTCAGGTGTAGGTAATGAAATTG CGACCGAGCGTCCGATGGTCCAAAAGTTCGTTCTGGATTCTGTTAAATAT TGGGTAAAGGAATACCATATCGACGGCTTCCGTTTCGATCTTATGGCTCT TTTAGGAAAAGACACCATGGCCAAAATATCAAAAGAGCTTCATGCTATTA ATCCTGGCATTGTCCTGTATGGAGAACCATGGACTGGCGGTACCTCTGGA TTATCAAGCGACCAACTCGTTACGAAAGGTCAGCAAAAGGGCTTGGGAAT TGGCGTATTCAACGATAATATTCGGAACGGACTCGATGGTAACGTTTTTG ATAAATCGGCACAAGGATTTGCAACAGGAGATCCAAACCAAGTTAATGTC ATTAAAAATAGAGTTATGGGAAGTATTTCAGATTTCACTTCGGCACCTAG CGAAACCATTAACTATGTAACAAGCCATGATAATATGACATTGTGGGATA AAATTAGCGCAAGTAATCCGAACGATACACAAGCAGATCGAATTAAGATG GATGAATTGGCTCAAGCTGTGGTATTTACTTCACAAGGGGTACCATTTAT GCAAGGTGGAGAAGAAATGCTGCGGACAAAAGGCGGTAATGATAATAGTT ACAATGCCGGGGATAGCGTGAATCAGTTCGATTGGTCAAGAAAAGCACAA TTTGAAAATGTATTCGACTACTATTCTTGGTTGATTCATCTACGTGATAA TCACCCAGCATTCCGTATGACGACAGCGGATCAAATCAAACAAAATCTCA CTTTCTTGGATAGCCCAACGAACACTGTAGCATTTGAATTAAAAAATCAT GCCAATCATGATAAATGGAAAAACATTATAGTTATGTATAATCCAAATAA AACTGCACAAACTCTCACTCTACCAAGTGGAAATTGGACAATTGTAGGAT TAGGCAATCAAGTAGGTGAGAAATCACTAGGCCATGTAAATGGCACGGTT GAGGTGCCAGCTCTTAGTACGATCATTCTTCATCAGGGTACATCTGAAGA TGTCATTGATCAAAATTAATATTGATTAAGAAATGATTTGTAAAACATTT AAGTCCATTTACACGGGATACTGTGTAAATGGATTTTAGTTTTATCCGTA GCATGTGTTAAAGAAGTAAATAGTAAATGGCAATTT

Target for the Two Amplifying Primers is Indicated Media:

TY (as described in Ausubel, F. M. et al. (eds.) “Current protocols in Molecular Biology”. John Wiley and Sons, 1995). LB agar (as described in Ausubel, F. M. et al. (eds.) “Current protocols in Molecular Biology”. John Wiley and Sons, 1995).

LBPG is LB agar supplemented with 0.5% Glucose and 0.05 M potassium phosphate, pH 7.0

AZCL-Pullulan is added to LBPG-agar to 0.5% AZCL-pullulan is from Megazyme, Australia.

BPX media is described in EP 0 506 780 (WO 91/09129).

Example 2 Purification of Bacillus Acidopullulyticus Pullulanase (Promozyme™)

Bacillus acidopullulyticus pullulanase was purified from a fermentation of B. acidopullulyticus (described in EP 63,909), the pullulanase being secreted to the medium.

A filter aid was added to the culture broth, which was filtered through a filtration cloth. This solution was further filtered through a Seitz depth filter plate, resulting in a clear solution. The filtrate was concentrated by ultrafiltration on 10 kDa cut-off polyethersulfone membranes followed by dialfiltration with distilled water to reduce the conductivity. The pH of the concentrated enzyme was adjusted to pH 4.5. The conductivity of the concentrated enzyme was 0.7 mS/cm.

The concentrated pullulanase was applied to an S-Sepharose FF column equilibrated in 20 mM CH₃COOH/NaOH, pH 4.5, and the enzyme was eluted with a linear NaCl gradient (0→0.5M). The pullulanase activity eluted as a single peak. The pooled fractions with pullulanase activity were transferred to 20 mM KH₂PO₄/NaOH, pH 7.0 on a Sephadex G25 column. The enzyme was further purified by application to a Q-Sepharose FF column equilibrated in 20 mM KH₂PO₄/NaOH, pH 7.0. After washing the column, the pullulanase was eluted with a linear NaCl gradient (0→0.5M). Fractions with pullulanase activity were pooled and the buffer was exchanged for 20 mM CH₃COOH/NaOH, pH 4.5, on a Sephadex G25 column. The pullulanase was then applied to a SOURCE 30S column equilibrated in 20 mM CH₃COOH/NaOH, pH 4.5. After washing the column, the pullulanase activity was eluted with an increasing linear NaCl gradient (0→0.2M). Fractions with pullulanase activity were pooled and concentrated on an ultrafiltration cell with a 10 kDa cut-off regenerated cellulose membrane. The concentrated enzyme was applied to a Superdex200 size exclusion column equilibrated in 20 mM CH₃COOH/NaOH, 200 mM NaCl, pH 4.5. Fractions eluted from the Superdex200 column were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and pure pullulanase fractions were pooled.

The pullulanase migrates on SDS-PAGE as a band with M_(r)=100 kDa.

Other pullulanases and isoamylases may be purified essentially in the same manner.

Sepharose, Sephadex, SOURCE and Superdex are trademarks owned by Amersham Pharmacia Biotech.

Example 3 Thermostability of Pullulanases and Isoamylases

The thermostability of pullulanases and isoamylses may be tested by means of DSC (Differential Scanning Calorimetry). The thermal denaturation temperature, Td, is taken as the top of the denaturation peak in thermograms (Cp vs. T) obtained after heating enzyme solutions at a constant, programmed heating rate.

Experimental:

A suitable DSC apparatus, e.g. a DSC II apparatus from Hart Scientific (Utah, USA) may used for the experiments. 50 mM buffered solutions are used as solvent for the enzyme (approx. 2 mg/ml) at either pH 10 (50 mM glycine buffer), pH 7 (50 mM HEPES buffer+10 mM EDTA) or pH 4 (50 mM citrate buffer). The enzyme may be purified as described above. 750 μl enzyme solution is transferred into standard 1 ml sealable hastelloy ampoules (Hart Scientific). Ampoules are loaded into the calorimeter and cooled to 5° C. for 15 min. Thermal equilibration is carried out prior to the DSC scan. The DSC scan is performed at from 5° C. to 95° C. at a scan rate of approx. 90 K/hr. Denaturation temperatures are determined with an accuracy of approx. +/−2° C. The results are expressed as top to denaturation peak as a function of pH.

Example 4 Activity Debranching Activity Assay:

The results below show that the specific activity (activity/mg pure enzyme) is highly dependent on the enzyme class. Isoamylases are extremely active towards high molecular weight branched starchy material such as glycogen and amylopectin, whereas pullulanases are very low in activity towards these substrates. The activity unit reflects the number of reducing ends which are formed during a 10 min. incubation period. The opposite picture is observed with pullulanases, i.e. low activity towards high molecular weight branched starchy material such as glycogen and amylopectin but high activity towards e.g. pullulan.

A high activity towards amylopectin and glycogen is particularly preferable when an enzymatic debranching is to take place together with the action of an α-amylase in the liquefaction process. On the other hand, a high activity towards small oligosaccharides such as pullulan is preferable when an enzymatic debranching is to take place during the saccharification step, i.e. after the liquefaction process when the high molecular weight components have been broken down to smaller oligosaccharides. If a pullulanase could be altered to have a high activity (specificity) towards high molecular weight compounds such as amylopectin, this would be highly preferable when the pullulanase is added during the liquefaction process.

Substrates used: rabbit liver glycogen and pullulan. Previous tests had showed that a high concentration of substrate was needed in order for the substrate not to be the limiting factor when a linear assay is developed. A “high” substrate concentration is, in this context, 10% w/v. The Somogyi-Nelson assay measures the amount of reducing ends formed by enzymatic degradation of the substrate. With normal assay times of up to 3 hours, the formation of reducing ends is fairly limited, even though the enzyme concentration is high (10% w/v). This means that the assay measures a relatively small difference in reducing ends on a very high background which is much higher than the measurable difference in absorbance during the enzyme treatment. For this reason, the reducing ends in glycogen and pullulan were oxidised with NaBH₄ as follows in order to reduce the substrate background level:

1000 mg of glycogen was dissolved in 40 ml of water to which 0.2% NaOH had been added. 800 mg NaBH₄ was added carefully under stirring. The solution was stirred for 48 h at 25° C., after which the reaction was stopped by adding Amberlite IR-118H, a cation exchanger which removes the boron ions and stop the reaction. The solution was filtered to remove the matrix and was evaporated to give 10 ml. The solution was dialyased extensively against deionized water in order to remove residual boron ions. This method was found to reduce the background value by at least a factor of 10.

The assay was conducted according to the method of Somogyi-Nelson, using 50 mM sodium acetate, pH values of 4.5, 5.0 and 5.5 and a temperature of 50° C. (isoamylase) or 60° C. (pullulanases), with a reaction time of 10 min. Glucose was used as a standard, a standard curve being made from solutions containing of 0-200 mg glucose/litre.

TABLE 3 Glycogen from Rabbit liver Temp. pH PUN/mg Pullulanase from 60° C. 4.5 50 B. acidopullulyticus 60° C. 5.0 49 (SEQ ID NO 1) 60° C. 5.5 51 Pullulanase from 60° C. 4.5 37 B. deramificans 60° C. 5.0 31 (SEQ ID NO 2) 60° C. 5.5 30 Isoamylase from 50° C. 4.5 2829 Pseudomonas 50° C. 5.0 2858 (SEQ ID NO 4) 50° C. 5.5 2709 Pullulan Pullulanase from 60° C. 4.5 402 B. acidopullulyticus 60° C. 5.0 414 (SEQ ID NO 1) 60° C. 5.5 393 Pullulanase from 60° C. 4.5 288 B. deramificans 60° C. 5.0 276 (SEQ ID NO 2) 60° C. 5.5 255 Isoamylase from 50° C. 4.5 14 Pseudomonas 50° C. 5.0 14 (SEQ ID NO 4) 50° C. 5.5 6

SEQ ID NO 12: (2) INFORMATION FOR SEQ ID NO: 12: (i) SEQUENCE CHARACTERISTICS: (A) LENGTH: 2181 base pairs (B) TYPE: nucleic acid (C) STRANDEDNESS: single (D) TOPOLOGY: linear (ii) MOLECULE TYPE: DNA (genomic) (vi) ORIGINAL SOURCE: (B) STRAIN: Rhodothermus marinus DSM 4252 (ix) FEATURE: (A) NAME/KEY: CDS (B) LOCATION: 1 . . . 2181 (xi) SEQUENCE DESCRIPTION: SEQ ID NO: 12: ATG TCA CAT AGC GCG CAA CCG GTT ACG TCG GTA CAG GCC GTC TGG CCC 48 Met Ser His Ser Ala Gln Pro Val Thr Ser Val Gln Ala Val Trp Pro   1               5                  10                  15 GGC CGG CCT TAT CCG CTG GGT GCC ACC TGG GAC GGG CTG GGC GTC AAC 96 Gly Arg Pro Tyr Pro Leu Gly Ala Thr Trp Asp Gly Leu Gly Val Asn              20                  25                  30 TTT GCC CTC TAC AGC CAG CAC GCC GAG GCG GTC GAA CTG GTG CTG TTC 144 Phe Ala Leu Tyr Ser Gln His Ala Glu Ala Val Glu Leu Val Leu Phe          35                  40                  45 GAC CAC CCG GAC GAT CCC GCG CCT TCG CGC ACG ATC GAA GTG ACC GAA 192 Asp His Pro Asp Asp Pro Ala Pro Ser Arg Thr Ile Glu Val Thr Glu      50                  55                  60 CGG ACA GGC CCG ATC TGG CAT GTG TAC CTG CCC GGC CTG CGT CCC GGC 240 Arg Thr Gly Pro Ile Trp His Val Tyr Leu Pro Gly Leu Arg Pro Gly  65                  70                  75                  80 CAG CTC TAC GGC TAT CGC GTC TAC GGA CCC TAC CGG CCG GAG GAA GGC 288 Gln Leu Tyr Gly Tyr Arg Val Tyr Gly Pro Tyr Arg Pro Glu Glu Gly                  85                  90                  95 CAC CGC TTC AAT CCG AAC AAG GTG CTG CTC GAC CCC TAC GCG AAG GCC 336 His Arg Phe Asn Pro Asn Lys Val Leu Leu Asp Pro Tyr Ala Lys Ala             100                 105                 110 ATC GGC CGG CCC CTT CGC TGG CAC GAC AGC CTC TTC GGT TAC AAA ATC 384 Ile Gly Arg Pro Leu Arg Trp His Asp Ser Leu Phe Gly Tyr Lys Ile         115                 120                 125 GGC GAT CCG GCC GGG GAT CTG TCG TTC TCC GAA GAA GAC AGC GCT CCG 432 Gly Asp Pro Ala Gly Asp Leu Ser Phe Ser Glu Glu Asp Ser Ala Pro     130                 135                 140 TAC GCG CCG CTG GGA GCC GTC GTG GAG GGC TGT TTC GAG TGG GGC GAC 480 Tyr Ala Pro Leu Gly Ala Val Val Glu Gly Cys Phe Glu Trp Gly Asp 145                 150                 155                 160 GAC CGC CCG CCG CGC ATT CCC TGG GAA GAC ACG ATC ATC TAC GAA ACG 528 Asp Arg Pro Pro Arg Ile Pro Trp Glu Asp Thr Ile Ile Tyr Glu Thr                 165                 170                 175 CAC GTC AAG GGC ATC ACG AAG CTG CAT CCG GAA GTG CCG GAG CCG CTG 576 His Val Lys Gly Ile Thr Lys Leu His Pro Glu Val Pro Glu Pro Leu             180                 185                 190 CGG GGG ACG TAT CTG GGG CTG ACC TGC GAG CCG GTG CTG GAG CAC CTG 624 Arg Gly Thr Tyr Leu Gly Leu Thr Cys Glu Pro Val Leu Glu His Leu         195                 200                 205 AAG CAG CTG GGC GTC ACC ACG ATC CAG CTC CTT CCG GTG CAC GCA AAA 672 Lys Gln Leu Gly Val Thr Thr Ile Gln Leu Leu Pro Val His Ala Lys     210                 215                 220 GTG CAC GAT CGG CAC CTG GTC GAG CGC GGC CTG CGC AAC TAC TGG GGC 720 Val His Asp Arg His Leu Val Glu Arg Gly Leu Arg Asn Tyr Trp Gly 225                 230                 235                 240 TAC AAT CCG CTC TGC TAC TTT GCG CCG GAG CCC GAG TAC GCC ACG AAC 768 Tyr Asn Pro Leu Cys Tyr Phe Ala Pro Glu Pro Glu Tyr Ala Thr Asn                 245                 250                 255 GGG CCG ATC TCG GCC GTG CGC GAG TTC AAG ATG ATG GTG CGG GCG CTG 816 Gly Pro Ile Ser Ala Val Arg Glu Phe Lys Met Met Val Arg Ala Leu             260                 265                 270 CAT GCT GCC GGC TTC GAG GTG ATC GTC GAC GTG GTC TAC AAC CAC ACG 864 His Ala Ala Gly Phe Glu Val Ile Val Asp Val Val Tyr Asn His Thr         275                 280                 285 GGC GAA GGC GGC GTG CTG GGC CCC ACG CTG TCG TTC CGG GGC ATC GAC 912 Gly Glu Gly Gly Val Leu Gly Pro Thr Leu Ser Phe Arg Gly Ile Asp     290                 295                 300 AAC CGC GCC TAC TAC AAG GCC GAT CCG AAC AAC CCG CGC TTT CTG GTC 960 Asn Arg Ala Tyr Tyr Lys Ala Asp Pro Asn Asn Pro Arg Phe Leu Val 305                 310                 315                 320 GAT TAC ACG GGC ACC GGC AAC ACG CTG GAC GTG GGC AAC CCC TAC GTC 1008 Asp Tyr Thr Gly Thr Gly Asn Thr Leu Asp Val Gly Asn Pro Tyr Val                 325                 330                 335 ATC CAG CTC ATC ATG GAC AGC CTG CGC TAC TGG GTC ACT GAA ATG CAC 1056 Ile Gln Leu Ile Met Asp Ser Leu Arg Tyr Trp Val Thr Glu Met His             340                 345                 350 GTC GAC GGC TTT CGG TTC GAC CTG GCC GCC GCG CTG GCC CGC GAG CTG 1104 Val Asp Gly Phe Arg Phe Asp Leu Ala Ala Ala Leu Ala Arg Glu Leu         355                 360                 365 TAC GAC GTG GAC ATG CTC TCG ACC TTT TTT CAG GTC ATT CAG CAG GAC 1152 Tyr Asp Val Asp Met Leu Ser Thr Phe Phe Gln Val Ile Gln Gln Asp     370                 375                 380 CCG GTG CTC AGC CAG GTC AAG CTC ATC GCC GAA CCC TGG GAC GTC GGG 1200 Pro Val Leu Ser Gln Val Lys Leu Ile Ala Glu Pro Trp Asp Val Gly 385                 390                 395                 400 CCG GGG GGG TAT CAG GTG GGA CAT TTT CCC TGG CAG TGG ACC GAG TGG 1248 Pro Gly Gly Tyr Gln Val Gly His Phe Pro Trp Gln Trp Thr Glu Trp                 405                 410                 415 AAC GGC CGC TAT CGT GAC GCC GTG CGC CGC TTC TGG CGG GGC GAT CGG 1296 Asn Gly Arg Tyr Arg Asp Ala Val Arg Arg Phe Trp Arg Gly Asp Arg             420                 425                 430 GGC CTC AAC GGT GAG TTT GCC ACG CGC TTT GCC GGC TCC AGC GAT CTG 1344 Gly Leu Asn Gly Glu Phe Ala Thr Arg Phe Ala Gly Ser Ser Asp Leu         435                 440                 445 TAC GAA CGT AGC GGT CGT CGT CCG TTC GCT TCG ATC AAC TTC GTC ACG 1392 Tyr Glu Arg Ser Gly Arg Arg Pro Phe Ala Ser Ile Asn Phe Val Thr     450                 455                 460 GCG CAC GAC GGC TTC ACG CTG GAA GAC CTG GTC AGC TAC ACG AAA AAG 1440 Ala His Asp Gly Phe Thr Leu Glu Asp Leu Val Ser Tyr Thr Lys Lys 465                 470                 475                 480 CAC AAC GAA GCG AAT CTG GAA GGC AAC CGG GAC GGC ATG GAC GAA AAC 1488 His Asn Glu Ala Asn Leu Glu Gly Asn Arg Asp Gly Met Asp Glu Asn                 485                 490                 495 TAC AGC ACG AAC TGC GGG GTG GAG GGA CCC ACG CAG GAT CCG TCC GTG 1536 Tyr Ser Thr Asn Cys Gly Val Glu Gly Pro Thr Gln Asp Pro Ser Val             500                 505                 510 CTG GCC TGC CGG GAA GCG CTC AAG CGC AGC CTG ATC AGC ACG CTC TTT 1584 Leu Ala Cys Arg Glu Ala Leu Lys Arg Ser Leu Ile Ser Thr Leu Phe         515                 520                 525 CTC TCG CAG GGC GTG CCC ATG CTG CTG GGC GGC GAC GAG CTG TCG CGC 1632 Len Ser Gln Gly Val Pro Met Leu Leu Gly Gly Asp Glu Leu Ser Arg     530                 535                 540 ACG CAG CAC GGC AAC AAC AAC GCC TAT TGC CAG GAC AAC GAG ATC AGC 1680 Thr Gln His Gly Asn Asn Asn Ala Tyr Cys Gln Asp Asn Glu Ile Ser 545                 550                 555                 560 TGG TAC AAC TGG CAG CTC GAC ACG CGC AAG CAG CAG TTT CTG GAG TTC 1728 Trp Tyr Asn Trp Gln Leu Asp Thr Arg Lys Gln Gln Phe Leu Glu Phe                 565                 570                 575 GTG CGC CAG ACG ATC TGG TTT CGC AAG CAG CAT CGG AGC TTC CGG CGC 1776 Val Arg Gln Thr Ile Trp Phe Arg Lys Gln His Arg Ser Phe Arg Arg             580                 585                 590 CGC CAT TTT CTG ACC GGA TTG CCC AAC GGC GGA AGG CCC CGA CGC AGT 1824 Arg His Phe Leu Thr Gly Leu Pro Asn Gly Gly Arg Pro Arg Arg Ser         595                 600                 605 CTG GTG GCA CCT GAG GGT CGG CCC ATG CGC CAC GAG GAC TGG ACC AAC 1872 Leu Val Ala Pro Glu Gly Arg Pro Met Arg His Glu Asp Trp Thr Asn     610                 615                 620 CCG GAG CTG ACG GCC TTC GGA CTG CTG CTG CAC GGC GAC GCC ATT CAG 1920 Pro Glu Leu Thr Ala Phe Gly Leu Leu Leu His Gly Asp Ala Ile Gln 625                 630                 635                 640 GGG ACC GAC GAG CAC GGA CGA CCG TTT CGC GAC GAC ACG TTT CTG ATT 1968 Gly Thr Asp Glu His Gly Arg Pro Phe Arg Asp Asp Thr Phe Leu Ile                 645                 650                 655 CTG TTC AAC AAC GGC AGC GAA GCC GTG CCG GTC GTG GTG CCG GAG GTA 2016 Leu Phe Asn Asn Gly Ser Glu Ala Val Pro Val Val Val Pro Glu Val             660                 665                 670 TGC TCC TGT GGC AAG CCG CAC CAC TGG GAG GTG GTC CCG GTG TTT CAA 2064 Cys Ser Cys Gly Lys Pro His His Trp Glu Val Val Pro Val Phe Gln         675                 680                 685 CGC AAT GTG GAG CCC CCC ACG TGC GCG CCC GGC GAG ACG CTG TCG CTC 2112 Arg Asn Val Glu Pro Pro Thr Cys Ala Pro Gly Glu Thr Leu Ser Leu     690                 695                 700 CCG CCC GGC GTG CTG ACG GTG CTG GTG GCC GTA CCG CCG TTC TCG GAT 2160 Pro Pro Gly Val Leu Thr Val Leu Val Ala Val Pro Pro Phe Ser Asp 705                 710                 715                 720 GGA AAC ACG GAG CCG GCC TGA 2181 Gly Asn Thr Glu Pro Ala *                 725 

1. A genetically engineered variant of a parent starch debranching enzyme, the enzyme variant having an improved thermostability at a pH in the range of 4-6 compared to the parent enzyme.
 2. The enzyme variant of claim 1, wherein the enzyme is a pullulanase.
 3. The enzyme variant of claim 1, wherein the enzyme is an isoamylase.
 4. The enzyme variant of any of claims 1-3, wherein the enzyme variant has an improved thermostability as defined by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) using the method described herein.
 5. The enzyme variant of any of claims 1-3, wherein the enzyme variant has an improved thermostability as defined by an increased half-time (T_(1/2)) of at least about 5%, preferably at least about 10%, more preferably at least about 15%, more preferably at least about 25%, most preferably at least about 50%, such as at least 100%, in the “T_(1/2) 2 assay for liquefaction” described herein, using a pH of 5.0 and a temperature of 95° C.
 6. The enzyme variant of any of claims 1-3, wherein the enzyme variant has an improved thermostability as defined by an increased residual enzyme activity of at least about 5%, preferably at least about 10%, more preferably at least about 15%, more preferably at least about 25%, most preferably at least about 50%, in the “assay for residual activity after liquefaction” described herein, using a pH of 5.0 and a temperature of 95° C.
 7. The enzyme variant of any of claims 1-3, wherein the enzyme variant has an improved thermostability as defined by an increased half-time (T_(1/2)) of at least about 5%, preferably at least about 10%, more preferably at least about 15%, more preferably at least about 25%, most preferably at least about 50%, such as at least 100%, in the “T_(1/2) assay for saccharification” described herein, using a pH of 4.5 and a temperature of 70° C.
 8. The enzyme variant of any of claims 1-3, wherein the enzyme variant has an improved thermostability as defined by an increased residual enzyme activity of at least about 5%, preferably at least about 10%, more preferably at least about 15%, more preferably at least about 25%, most preferably at least about 50%, in the “assay for residual activity after saccharification” described herein, using a pH of 4.5 and a temperature of 63° C.
 9. The enzyme variant of claim 8, having increased residual enzyme activity when assayed at a temperature of 70° C.
 10. A genetically engineered variant of a parent starch debranching enzyme, the enzyme variant having an increased activity towards amylopectin and/or glycogen compared to the parent enzyme.
 11. The enzyme variant of claim 10, wherein the parent enzyme is a pullulanase.
 12. The enzyme variant of claim 11, wherein the pullulanase is produced by a bacterium of the genus Bacillus, e.g. Bacillus acidopullulyticus or Bacillus deramificans, or Pyrococcus, or Klebsiella, e.g. Klebsiella pneumoniae or Klebsiella aerogenes
 13. The enzyme variant of claim 10, wherein the parent enzyme is an isoamylase, e.g. an isoamylase produced by a bacterium of the genus Pseudomonas, e.g. Pseudomonas amyloderamosa, or from Sulfolobus, e.g. Sulfolobus acidocaldarius or Sulfolobus solfataricus, or Rhodothermus, e.g. Rhodothermus marinus,
 14. The enzyme variant of any of claims 10-13, wherein the enzyme variant further has improved thermostability as defined in any of claims 1-9.
 15. A method for producing a starch debranching enzyme variant with increased thermostability, the method comprising the steps of: identifying one or more amino acid residues and/or amino acid regions associated with thermostability in a first parent starch debranching enzyme, identifying one or more homologous amino acid residues and/or amino acid regions in a second parent starch debranching enzyme by means of alignment of the amino acid sequences of the first and second parent starch debranching enzymes, and mutating one or more of the homologous amino acid residues and/or amino acid regions in the second parent starch debranching enzyme to produce an enzyme variant with increased thermostability.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein increased thermostability is obtained by mutating homologous amino acid residues and/or amino acid regions located in a loop, preferably loop 2 or
 3. 17. The method of claim 15, wherein mutation is performed at least one amino acid residue corresponding to positions 369-397, 419-458, 484-525, 553-568, 582-608, 613-616, 661-670 and 708-739 of SEQ ID NO: 1, positions 465-493, 515-554, 580-621, 649-664, 680-711, 714-717, 757-765 and 804-834 of SEQ ID NO: 2, positions 176-195, 218-257, 283-334, 359-381, 395-413, 416-419, 461-470 and 537-568 of SEQ ID NO: 3, and positions 210-230, 250-292, 319-376, 401-437, 461-479, 482-485, 533-580 and 605-636 of SEQ ID NO:
 4. 18. The method of claim 15, wherein increased thermostability is obtained by replacing at least one non-proline residue with a proline residue.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein increased thermostability is obtained by at least one Gly to Ala substitution.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein increased thermostability is obtained by substituting at least one Asn or Gln residue with another amino acid residue, preferably an amino acid residue selected from the group consisting of Leu, Ile, Phe, Ala, Thr, Ser and Tyr.
 21. The method of any of claims 18-20, wherein substitution is performed in loop 3, 5 and/or
 6. 22. A method for producing a starch debranching enzyme variant with altered substrate specificity, the method comprising the steps of: identifying one or more amino acid residues in at least one amino acid loop associated with specificity towards a desired substrate in a first parent starch debranching enzyme, identifying one or more homologous amino acid residues in at least one corresponding loop in a second parent starch debranching enzyme by means of alignment of the amino acid sequences of the first and second parent starch debranching enzymes, and mutating one or more of the homologous amino acid residues in at least one loop in the second parent starch debranching enzyme to produce an enzyme variant with altered substrate specificity.
 23. The method of claim 22, wherein mutation is performed at least one amino acid residue corresponding to positions 369-397, 419-458, 484-525, 553-568, 582-608, 613-616, 661-670 and 708-739 of SEQ ID NO: 1, positions 465-493, 515-554, 580-621, 649-664, 680-711, 714-717, 757-765 and 804-834 of SEQ ID NO: 2, positions 176-195, 218-257, 283-334, 359-381, 395-413, 416-419, 461-470 and 537-568 of SEQ ID NO: 3, and positions 210-230, 250-292, 319-376, 401-437, 461-479, 482-485, 533-580 and 605-636 of SEQ ID NO:
 4. 24. The method of claim 22, wherein mutation is performed in loop 1, 2, 4, 5 and/or
 7. 25. The method of any of claims 22-24, wherein the mutation is a loop transfer.
 26. The method of any of claims 22-25, wherein the first parent starch debranching enzyme is an isoamylase and the second parent starch debranching enzyme is a pullulanase.
 27. The method of any of claims 22-26, wherein the altered substrate specificity is an increased activity towards amylopectin and/or glycogen.
 28. The method of any of claims 15-27, wherein homologous amino acid residues and/or amino acid regions suitable for mutation are identified in the second parent starch debranching enzyme by means of alignment of the amino acid sequence of the second parent starch branching enzyme with the most homologous sequence in a key alignment, wherein said key alignment comprises an alignment of the amino acid sequences of at least two relevant starch debranching enzymes.
 29. The method of claim 28, wherein the key alignment comprises an alignment of at least two amino acid sequences selected from the group consisting of SEQ ID NO 1, 2, 3 and
 4. 30. The method of any of claims 15-29, wherein mutation of the second parent starch debranching enzyme is performed in at least one loop of the second parent starch debranching enzyme which is homologous with a corresponding loop identified in Table 1 herein.
 31. A method for converting starch to one or more sugars, the method comprising debranching the starch using at least one enzyme variant as defined in any of claims 1-30.
 32. The method of claim 31, wherein the starch conversion comprises liquefaction at a temperature of at least about 95° C. using at least one enzyme variant as defined in any of claims 1-6 and at least one α-amylase.
 33. The method of claim 32, wherein the enzyme variant is a pullulanase or an isoamylase.
 34. The method of any of claims 31-33, wherein the starch conversion comprises saccharification at a temperature of at least about 63° C., preferably at least about 70° C., using at least one enzyme variant as defined in any of claims 1-4 or 7-9 and at least one glucoamylase.
 35. The method of claim 34, wherein the enzyme variant is a pullulanase. 